Ride
by Maid Malcolm
Summary: After a bad day, La'gaan agrees to go for a ride on Mal's bike. He hasn't ridden a motorbike before.


"Merlin's beard!"

Sometimes Mal wondered whether Atlanteans had any other curses. He stepped calmly to the side, leaving room in the hallway for La'gaan to storm past. He looked really upset this time, not just the blustering desire to express himself he sometimes showed on principle. With the soft, quiet walk a big guy who doesn't want to get into fights all the time learns unconsciously, Mal glanced into the room La'gaan had emerged from.

A few of the boys were in there. Including Kon, looking annoyed. Well, that didn't take a genius to figure out.

He wouldn't say anything, but Mal often wondered why La'gaan put up with that. M'Gann was obviously still in love with Conner. And sure, La'gaan was a soldier, he was used to taking orders and being thrown into situations that didn't make sense, but he needed to learn to be assertive. Not pretend assertive, not blustering and threatening and flaunting his victories – properly assertive. Maybe it was an Atlantean thing.

He followed La'gaan outside. Maybe he'd want to be left alone. But maybe he wanted company. It didn't hurt to find out.

"Hey, man."

La'gaan glared, but Mal could see how his shoulders had relaxed at the sound of his voice. "What do you want?"

"I was just goin' into town to grab some groceries. Wanna help me carry stuff?"

La'gaan shrugged, although not entirely happily. "We zetaing?"

Mal chuckled. "No. Come on."

Mal had a couple of spare helmets in different sizes, but the only one that really got any use was Bumblebee's. He had to dig around a bit to find one with room for La'gaan's ears.

Mounting the bike was another challenge; Atlanteans weren't natural straddlers. But La'gaan got himself balanced and Mal put his big green hands around his own waist. "Hold on, and lean into my back." He kicked the engine into life.

The weight on his back was new and familiar at the same time. La'gaan clung nervously, uncertainly, not wanting to look scared, but not sure how to position his weight and move with the bike. Like Bee, the first few times he took her out. When they had time for each other. When she thought he was important...

"You okay back there, man?" Mal called.

"I can take care of myself, Chum," was the grim reply, but Mal could hear the nervousness. IT was La'gaan's first time feeling the wind on a real bike, a proper bike. Sphere wasn't the same. Sphere could fly, and she drove herself. On a real bike, there was just the mindless machine, needing to be controlled. And the arms hugging his lower torso that could become strong enough to crush him within seconds, but felt so frail and nervous. And the speed. And the wind.

Teammate or no, there was only so much Superboy that La'gaan could take.

He paid Mal no attention as he stormed past. He wanted to be alone. Or at least, away. Away from the smug perfect heroes who were so loved and heroic... he wanted Atlantis.

Except it was the same story there, wasn't it? Nothing he did could be good enough. He'd fought for everything, fought for respect, fought to get away from there and come somewhere new, somewhere that he could make a difference. He'd thought it would get better when he became Aquaman's sidekick. He'd thought it would get better when he got to the surface. He'd thought it would get better when he settled into the team, when he was no longer the new guy, the... replacement, less competent Aqualad. He'd definitely thought it would get better when M'Gann had taken an interest in him.

But it never did. Nothing ever changed. He had to fight for every ounce of respect, every time. And it was getting old.

He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. Dry air. He'd never get used to dry air. The others said it was wet, that they could taste the sea mist on it, but to him that just made it slightly less dry.

"Hey, man."

Mal. La'gaan glared at him. "What do you want?"

"I was just goin' into town to grab some groceries. Wanna help me carry stuff?"

La'gaan didn't want to have to walk back through the Cave, past the others. But getting away from the Cave for a bit did sound like a good idea. "We zetaing?"

Mal laughed his deep, rumbling belly laugh. "No. Come on." They headed in through the launch bay, past the sleeping bioship. "Ever been on a motorbike before?"

"I've been on the Supercycle."

Mal laughed again and shook his head. "No, man. A bike." He dug in a crate for a bit and pulled out battered-looking helmet. "See if this fits."

They kitted up, and Mal swung a leg over the bike. "Come on." La'gaan climbed on awkwardly behind him. Mal tisted in the seat to take La'gaan's hips in his hands and position him properly. "Here. You'll want to pick your feet up. And put your knees here."

It was a little like that time he'd gone dolphin-riding. Or the time Kaldur'ahm had taught him to...

No need to think of him now.

Mal repositioned himself and pulled La'gaan's hands around his waist. "Hold on, and lean into my back." He kept arm over La'gaan's hands as he kicked the engine to life; a good thing, as La'gaan nearly let go in reflex.

"Keep holding on," Mal said, "and don't move around too much."

Once they were moving, there was no choice.

La'gaan could do nothing but grip the muscled body in front of him as wind pulled at his ears and arms. He pressed his face into Mal's back, trying not to move while Mal leaned his body expertly to balance the moving bike. The bioship never felt this fast. Underwater never felt this fast. But after a while, the speed was less daunting and the air less thrilling, and he lifted his head. Trees zipped by at incredible speed, but helmet in front of him was an anchor point, moving only slightly to the left or right as the bike moved.

This must be what it felt like for a bird to fly. Maybe he'd ask Beast Boy later.

"You okay back there, man?" Mal called.

Okay? Of course he was okay. "I can take care of myself, Chum." He always had. He'd always needed to. As a soldier, a protector, that was his job.

But sometimes, it was good to just hold on and let someone who knew what they were doing steer the way.


End file.
